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The Mediterranean Diet

The traditional Mediterranean diet consists of olive oil, vegetables, fruit, little fatty meat, and moderate amounts of red wine. It is well known that this diet is beneficial for health, and that it reduces diseases of old age.

A 'Benefit' Of Poverty

The Mediterranean diet wasn't planned for good health - this was the food produced locally by the inhabitants. It has persisted for so long because of the low income level of the Southern Mediterranean area - they couldn't afford less nutritous 'fast' food!

As the area has become more affluent, bad habits have started setting in.

Eurostat - the EU's statisticians - have found that, on average, 1 in 4 European men, and 1 in 5 women are overweight or very overweight.

Bottom Of 'Health League'

The Southern Europeans tend to be worse in terms of obesity than those in the North. Greece is the worst - with 35% of its men overweight. Around 30% of British and German men are overweight. Whereas many more Dutch men are 'normal' weight, with only 17% being classified as overweight.

Why is Greece th heaviest nation?

Well, while they still consume the standard Mediterranean diet it is now, as intimated above, supplemented with more and more supermarket ready-made foods, packets of crisps (chips) and fast food takeaways. Also, it hasn't helped that there has been a shift away from jobs which keep people active, or that there is less walking and cycling and more driving.

'Fat' Is Not The Whole Picture

However, although the Greeks are the most overweight people in Europe, they have a long life - being placed 7th in a longevity league of 191 countries. Also, they have the lowest heart disease rate in Europe. So they are still doing something right!

This may be linked to their consumption of 20 litres (35 pints) of virgin olive oil per head per year. That is a lot of olive oil! This is more than even Spain - the largest producer of olive oil - whose inhabitants consume just 13 litres per head. To take that amount, maybe they have olive oil with their fast food!

Other Countries

In Britain, obesity has rocketed in the past couple of decades. For example, obesity doubled between 1984 and 1994. Now, European figures show that a third of UK men are overweight, while the UK National Audit Office announced in February 2001 that 1 in 5 UK inhabitants are 'dangerously overweight', causing 30,000 deaths a year. The UK Department of Health set targets for reducing obesity levels in 1991 - they have been badly missed.

Obesity is expensive for a country - in Britain it is calculated to cost £2.1bn ($3bn) every year. In 1998, this cost included 18m sick days, 30,000 deaths, and 40,000 lost years of life.

Outside Europe, as long ago as 1991-2, statistics show Western Samoa had the dubious distinction of having nearly 80% of its population in the obese category. In the same study, 45% of Kuwait's population fell into this category.

In America, in what the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) termed the 'obesity epidemic', the condition increased among Americans by a massive 50% betwen 1991 and 1998.

Diabetes - Number One Disease Of Obesity
The JAMA reported that 300,000 Americans die annually from obesity related illnesses. These are mainly diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart and artery disease.

A Japanese professor calls the trio of obesity, diabetes and heart disease the 'McDiseases', because fast food is seen as a cause of rising levels of disease.

Certainly, diabetes is increasing rapidly alongside obesity. The number of diabetics has risen by 11% worldwide in the past 5 years. India has 32 million diabetics, China 22 million, USA has 15 million and the UK 1.4 million.

Is Advertising Partly To Blame for Bad Eating Habits?

Common sense would say advertising must be invoved in getting kids into bad eating habits. Bad habits start young. Some manufacturers promote their products through so-called "nag and whine" campaigns, which influence young kids - bless 'em - to pester parents.

Greece have restricted the advertising of toys on TV between 7am and 10pm. Greece at the cutting edge of social reform? Well, not exactly. In fact, this was originally a protectionist measure to benefit Greek toy manufacturers. But the Greek government is considering extending this ban to all products aimed at children.

In Sweden, TV advertising to the under 12s has been illegal since 1991. Other European countries, including Italy, Poland, Belgium and Ireland, are actively debating the issue of advertising to kids. And Britain's relatively newly set up Food Standards Agency is calling for stricter controls on food advertising to the young.

How effective the Swedish ban has been is open to question. Companies have just found other ways to promote their products to kids.

And Britain's ITV Television network says it spends nearly all the £45m ($62m) in revenue from children's advertising on making kids' programmes. They say reducing revenues would simply reduce the quality of TV shows for children.

Is advertising such a demon anyway? A review of 20 studies by the British 'Social Affairs Unit' said that it was 'naive' to suppose that children were easily manipulated by advertising.

By the age of six, most children can distinguish between advertising and entertainment. And a study of 5000 parents in Europe revealed that 86% did not place advertising among the top 5 influences on their children.

The answer for parents seems to be 'watch and discuss' with your children. If they 'nag and whine' while you're shopping with them, you just have to say "no"!

Are Food Manufacturing Companies To Blame?

Should we blame those nasty food manufacturers for producing poor quality food in the first place?

'Poor quality food' generally means high fat/high carbohydrate food. Or food high in sugar to enable a 'low fat' label to be used.

Or with the fat kept high and the sugar replaced with chemical sweeteners - to be called 'low cal', or 'diet'. It's still low quality food.

But don't blame the manufacturers - they just put it on the shelves. It is up to you if you put it in your shopping basket.

You cannot blame fast food chains for producing or marketing their goods. You cannot blame the UK supermarkets, for example, for stocking their shelves with 'Value' goods. These are low quality goods, in boring packaging. The consumer is buying it. The British always have had a reputation for eating for price, not quality.

Similarly, you cannot blame the motor car for dragging people away from walking. It has to be seen as a personal matter - responsibility belongs with us as individuals.

Obesity Begins With You!

Obesity is exploding in the developed world. And in much of the developing world. You can only combat it by dedicating part of your life to your good health.

Do it - and teach your children to do it by your good example.

The kids may not listen to you now - especially if they are in that 'interesting' age range around 14-18 years old! But any kid will take notice if they see you thinking about the food you put into your body. They will respond to your message in their own good time.

Overcoming obesity, for the most part, comes down to increasing your desire to be well. You then have a desire to keep yourself at a healthy weight.

Blaming others, or blaming yourself, is not helpful.

For most people, a mature and relaxed acceptance of the problem is the most helpful approach to aim for. I know it's not easy. But once you can accept that you are overweight and be happy with yourself you can plan your way out of it.

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